Pyrophoric igniter



Oct. 29, 1935. w. J. SMITH A 2,019,165

PYROPHORIC IGNITER Filed July 12, 1934 1 h magnum gnu ll u @1 All INVENTOR M W KTT NY viTED STATES PATENT OFFICE PYROPHORIC IGNITER William J. Smith, Brooklyn,

N. Y., assignor to Ira Krivitzin, New Rochelle, N. Y. Application July 12, 1934, Serial No. 734,759

3 Claims.

This invention relates to that class of lighters,

now widely used, in

which a rasp is supported in operative relation with a pyrophoric body in proximity to a wick tube and also in operative relation with actuating mechanism which, when operated by a spring from the pyrophoric or by hand, produces sparks body which ignite the combustible fluid supplied by the wick, all of these parts being mounted upon a. reservoir, usually of small pocket size, which supplies fluid to the wick. The object the combustible of the invention to improve the construction of such devices in various particulars to the end that there shall be provided a device of the kind shall be certain of referred to which operation under all conditions, shall be compact, shall not be liable to get out of order, shall effectually prevent evaporation of the fluid fuel when the device is not in use,

shall be readily operated and satisfactory to the user.

shall in general be The invention will be more fully explained hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawing in which it is illustrated, and in which:

Figure 1 is a view in elevation of the improved igniter when closed and in readiness for use.

Figure 2 is a View vation and partly in being shown in the of the same, partly in elevertical section, the parts positions which they assume when they have been actuated and the wick ig- 'nited.

Figure 3 is a top shown in Figure 1,

plan view of the lighter, as but with a portion broken away to show details of construction.

Figure 4 is a view in horizontal section on the plane indicated by the broken line 4-4 of Figure Figure 5 is a top view of the reservoir with the sparking device rem Figure 6 is a viewi oved, and n perspective of the sparking device removed from the reservoir.

The reservoir (1 is of usual form, having a bottom plate 11. provided with a filling plug a to permit the filling and re-filling of the reservoir with fluid fuel, and

having a top plate a which supports the wick tube a which may be threaded in place, has an aperture,

as at a to receive the tube which carries the pyrophoric body and has a flat headed screw a raised somewhat from the top a to provide a convenient means for securing the sparking devices in place as hereinafter described. The sparking devices are carried by a bracket or frame which has two spaced walls or cheek pieces b and a bottom plate I) which is formed with a keyhole slot b the larger part of which is of such s we as to permit the entrance of the head of the screw a which is thereafter engaged by a slight turning movement of the bracket or frame b, whereby the bracket or frame and the sparking devices carried thereby are retained securely in position and yet may 5 be removed readily when necessary for purposes of inspection or repair.

The pyrophoric body 0 is spring supported within a tube d in which is placed a spring (P, the tension of which may be adjusted by a 10 knurled screw d whereby the pyrophoric body is pressed upward against the rasp with yielding and adjustable pressure. The tube d is supported by a flanged head 01 which rests upon the top a of the reservoir and is enclosed within a tube 15 d closed at its bottom and integrally united with the top a so that no fluid fuel may escape and so that the efficiency of the pyrophoric body shall not be lessened by the presence of the fluid fuel.

The head d is forked or provided with cheek pieces d between which is mounted on a spindle e the circular metal rasp e against which the pyrophoric body c is pressed upward by the spring 01 Upon the end of the spindle e is secured, as 5 by a headed axial screw e an arm e The latter is connected by a link e with a spring actuated carrier lever e which is mounted on an axis 6 between the cheek pieces b of. the bracket or frame b, a spring e being coiled about the axis 6 and bearing at its ends against the bottom plate b of the bracket 1) and against the carrier lever e tending normally to throw the carrier lever e from the closed position shown in Figure 1 to the fully operated position shown in Figure 2.

The carrier lever e is held normally in the b of the bracket b and at its hooked free end normally engages a cross-pin e carried by the cheek pieces 6 which form the end of the carrier lever e In the cheek pieces b of the bracket b is mounted a push-pin I which carries a cone f and at one end is provided with a push-button F. The cone f is so positioned with respect to the latch j that the spring latch ,1 acts upon it to press the push-pin toward the observer, as in Figures 1 and 2, moving the push-button f away from the adjacent cheek piece, the latch then engaging the cross-pin e of the carrier lever e and holding the carrier e in closed position, as in Figure 1. When pressure is thereafter applied to the push-button f the cone f acts upon the latch to disengage it from the cross-pin e thereby releasing the carrier lever e and permitting it to the flame at the end of the wick and preventing leakage or evaporation of the fluid fuel regardless of the position of the igniter.

The operation of the igniter'will be readily understood. When the parts arein the position shown in Figure 1 pressure upon the push-button i will release the spring actuated carrier lever e removing the extinguisher from the wick tube and rotating with a quick movement the rasp e in contact with the pyrophoric body and causing sparks to be thrown upon the wick as it projects from the wick-tube and igniting the fluid fuel. As soon as the flame has served its purpose the parts are returned from the open position shown in Figure 2 to the closed position shown in Figure 1 by pressure of the thumb upon the carrier lever e It will be understood that changes in details of construction and arrangement can be made to suit difierent conditions of use and that, except as pointed out in the accompanying claims, the invention is not restricted to the precise construction and arrangement shown and described herein.

I claim as my invention: 1

1. In a pyrophoric igniter, the combination with a reservoir having a top plate supporting a wick tube and provided with a screw having its head raised from said top plate, of a removable self-contained unit comprising a bracket having lateral walls and a bottom plate provided with a keyhole for engagement with said screw, sparking devices mounted upon said bracket, said devices comprising a tube carrying at one end thereof a pyrophoric body, means carried by said tube to exert a yielding pressure upon the pyrophoric body, a circular metal rasp rotatably mounted in a flanged head piece carried at the top of said tube for cooperation with the pyrophoric body, a spring pressed lever operatively connected with the rasp, a spring latch adapted to engage the lever and retain the parts in closed position, and a push pin armed with a cone for cooperation with the spring latch to disengage the same from the lever.

2. In a pyrophoric igniter, the combination with a reservoir having a top plate supporting a wick tube and provided with a screw having its head raised from said top plate, of a removable selfcontained unit comprising a bracket having lateral walls and a bottom plate provided with a keyhole for engagement with said screw, sparking devices mounted upon said bracket, said devices comprising a tube carrying at one end there- 5 of a pyrophoric body, a circular metal rasp rotatably mounted in a flanged head piece carried at the top of said tube, a carrier lever pivotally mounted on said bracket, an arm extending from said head piece and secured to said rasp, a link connecting said arm with said carrier lever in the fashion of a toggle lever, resilient means for providing a tension tending normally to swing the carrier lever upwardly, a spring latch adapted to engage the lever and retain the parts in closed position, and a push pin armed with a cone for cooperation with the spring latch to disengage the same from the lever.

3. In a pyrophoric igniter, the combination with a reservoir having a top plate supporting a wick tube and provided with a screw having its head raised from said top plate, of a removable unit comprising a. bracket having two lateral walls and a bottom plate provided with a keyhole slot for engagement with said screw, sparking devices mounted upon said bracket, said devices comprising a tube carrying at one end thereof a pyrophoric body, means carried by said tube to exert a yielding pressure upon the pyrophoric body, said tube being supported by a flanged head piece terminating in a fork, a circular metal rasp mounted on a spindle supported between said fork and secured in place by an axial screw, an arm extending therefrom, a carrier lever having arcuate arm and pivotally mounted on said bracket, a link connecting said arm with said carrier lever, a snufier supported on the free end of said carrier arm, a wick projecting through said wick tube and in position to be covered by said snuffer, a spring coiled about the 0 axis of said carrier lever and bearing at its end against the bottomplate of thebracket and against the carrier lever so as to provide a tension tending normally to swing the carrier lever upwardly, a spring latch adapted to engage the carrier lever and retain the parts in closed position, a push pin armed with a cone and normally positioned with respect to said latch so that the cone is disengaged therefrom whereby, in response to depression of said pin the latch is disengaged and the upward movement of said carrier arm uncovers the wick and said rasp is rotated against said pyrophoric body.

WILLIAM J. SMITH. 

